Like any good mother, when Karen found out that another baby was on the way, she did what she could to help her 3-year-old son, Michael, prepare for a new sibling. They find out that the new baby is going to be a girl, and day after day, night after night, Michael sings to his sister in Mommy’s tummy.

　　The pregnancy progresses normally for Karen, an active member of the Panther Creek United Methodist Church in Morristown, Tennessee. Then the labor pains come. Every five minutes ... every minute. But Complications arise during delivery. Hours of labor. Would a C-section be required? Finally, Michael’s little sister is born. But she is in serious condition. With siren howling in the night, the ambulance rushes the infant to the neonatal intensive care unit at St. Mary’s Hospital in Knoxville, Tennessee.

　　The days inch by. The little girl gets worse. The pediatric specialist tells the parents, “There is very little hope. Be prepared for the worst.” Karen and her husband contact a local cemetery about a burial plot. They have fixed up a special room in their home for the new baby — now they plan a funeral.

　　Michael, keeps begging his parents to let him see his sister, “I want to sing to her,” he says. Week two in intensive care. It looks as if a funeral will come before the week is over. Michael keeps nagging about singing to his sister, but kids are never allowed in Intensive Care. But Karen makes up her mind. She will take Michael whether they like it or not.

　　If he doesn’t see his sister now, he may never see her alive. She dresses him in an oversized scrub suit and marches him into ICU. He looks like a walking laundry basket, but the head nurse recognizes him as a child and bellows, “Get that kid out of here now! No children are allowed.” The mother rises up strong in Karen, and the usually mild-mannered lady glares steel-eyed into the head nurse’s face, her lips a firm line. “He is not leaving until he sings to his sister!” Karen tows Michael to his sister’s bedside. He gazes at the tiny infant losing the battle to live. And he begins to sing. In the pure hearted voice of a 3-year-old, Michael sings:

　　“You are my sunshine, my only sunshine, you make me happy when skies are gray — ”

Instantly the baby girl responds. The pulse rate becomes calm and steady.

　　Keep on singing, Michael. “You never know, dear, how much I love you. Please don’t take my sunshine away —“ The ragged, strained breathing becomes as smooth as a kitten’s purr.

Keep on singing, Michael. “The other night, dear, as I lay sleeping, I dreamed I held you in my arms...” Michael’s little sister relaxes as rest, healing rest, seems to sweep over her.

　　Keep on singing, Michael. Tears conquer the face of the bossy head nurse. Karen glows. “You are my sunshine, my only sunshine. Please don’t, take my sunshine away.”

Funeral plans are scrapped. The next, day — the very next day — the little girl is well enough to go home!

　　The medical staff just called it a miracle. Karen called it a miracle of God’s love!

       Never give up on the people you love. Love is so incredibly powerful.

71. What does “sibling” in the first paragraph mean?

A. stepmother               B. sister or brother               C. neighbor            D. friend

72. What can we learn from the passage?

A. Michael doesn’t love his younger sister because she will share his mother’s love.

B. After delivering the baby, Karen was seriously ill.

C. Seeing the younger sister in danger, Michael didn’t care and still sang happily.

D. The head nurse was at last moved by Michael’s song and his love for the sister.

73. Why did Karen insist on Michael’s entering Intensive Care?

A. Because Michael may never have chance to see his younger sister alive.

B. Because Karen was driven mad at that time.

C. Because Michael was also seriously ill.

D. Because Karen knew Michael would save his younger sister by his singing.

74. Who saved the girl in the end?

A. The pediatric specialist.                   B. Karen and her husband.

C. The baby.                                      D. The miracle created by love.

75. What does the writer want to convey in the passage?

A. Where there is a will, there is a way.

B. Love can make miracles.

C. A friend in need is a friend indeed.

D. Parents are the best teachers in children’s development.

　 In golf, we talk about handicaps. The lower the handicap, the better the golfer. A golfer with a handicap of 12 tends to play better than one with a handicap of 20.

It means that for a golf course that normally takes a professional 72 strokes (击球) over 18 holes to play, a 12-handicap golfer would complete his full game with a score of 84 strokes.

When it comes to creative thinking, is there such a handicap system? Can we describe a person as a 12-handicap in his creative thinking ability?

Fortunately or unfortunately, there is no such system yet for creative thinking. But we all suffer from a handicap when it comes to creative thinking. Some of us are better players at such an activity, with ideas flowing freely. Some of us are average or green hands at such thinking, failing often and feeling very frustrated.

But don’t fear. Creative thinkers can be like golfers striving to reduce their handicaps. It takes learning and practice, and re-learning and re-practice until you become better at it.

How do you learn to be a creative thinker? Just like the game of golf, you need to have an interest. Is your interest purely social, business or personal? Do you have a desire to improve?

Most golfers challenge themselves to reduce their handicaps for personal satisfaction and enjoyment, so do you have this burning desire to be a better creative thinker?

Next comes the learning process. Some golfers are self-taught. They learn from watching golf tournaments live or on TV. They watch videotapes of golf professionals. They read golf books.

To self-teach yourself in creative thinking, you can buy books on the subject or borrow books from community and university libraries. Some creative books list a bibliography (书目) of other useful reference books on the same subject. If you are resourceful, you can visit as many schools, colleges, universities, or community libraries as possible.

You need to think about what you read. Study the different creative thinking processes and methods, and experiment with them on your own or among friends. Practice makes you remember better. Practice also makes perfect, as the saying goes.

Many golfers take up lessons from teaching professionals rather than learning from friends who might not teach correctly. If you can, sign up for creative-thinking lessons offered by famous companies.

Don’t just attend the creative-thinking courses. Be a committed student, always following up on what you have learned and exploring more. Although I train teams in creativity and innovation, I am still reading widely on the subject, reflecting on my company’s methods, improving on the teaching of methods, and experimenting with and adapting to new techniques.

The greatest handicap is yourself, your own mind. If you have been brought up to believe that you are not creative and you keep telling yourself or people that you are not creative, then you are not helping yourself. A golfer who has a negative self-image is also ruining himself and his game.

Cancel the negative self-image from your mind. Each time the negative thought flashes in your mind, replace it with a positive self-image, such as "I have the capacity to be very creative. I can be a creative thinker." Then affirm (肯定) this new image daily, several times a day. It might help if you write down such affirmative statements and paste them in places to remind you several times each day.

Focus on this creative image of yourself daily. Twice a day if possible, even if it is only 10 minutes each time. Focus and imagine yourself being creative in your studies, work, meetings, at home, and in different situations.

Then train yourself to succeed as you have imagined. It means actually thinking and experimenting with different creative techniques on practical cases. It also means reading to enrich your mind daily, even if it is but half an hour a day.

　 Keep on learning, practicing, reviewing, re-learning and re-practicing, and I am confident that you can bring down your creative thinking handicap.

55. Creative thinking is different from golf in that ______.

A. creative thinkers suffer from no handicap

B. there is no handicap system for creative thinking

C. creative thinkers have to deal with more obstacles

D. creative thinking has nothing to do with personal satisfaction

56. The underlined word "handicap" (Para. 4) can best be replaced by ______.

A. uncertainty　　　　　 B. disadvantage　　　　　　 C. inconvenience　　　　　 D. discomfort

57. According to the passage, ______ is the greatest barrier for creative thinking.

A. lack of self-confidence

B. lack of the interest in exploring more

C. not attending the creative thinking course

D. having no interest in reading books on creativity

58. To cancel the negative self-image from your mind, you have to ______.

A. borrow books every day

B. attend courses on creativity

C. assure yourself that you are creative

D. experiment with different techniques on practical cases

59. What kind of writing technique is employed by the author to make his point clear?

A. Comparison.　　　　 B. Definition. 　　　　　　 C. Description.　　　　　　 D. Explanation.

60. The article is written to ______.

A. provide information 　　　　　　　　　　　　　　 B. share a story

C. express feelings D. encourage people